Be Happy Anyway

This Week's Quotation:

"If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous of you. Be happy anyway."

                       ~  Mother Teresa

Be Happy Anyway

Jerry Kvasnicka,              Naturally Happy

Yes, as Mother Teresa indicates, there may be a risk to being happy. You may evoke jealousy or perhaps even resentment! Some who encounter you might be saying to themselves, “No one could be that happy!” Be happy anyway.

I’m reminded of a professor I had when I attended Princeton Theological Seminary. He was always smiling and for a while I was envious, saying to myself, “No one could be that happy all the time.” Then someone told me that facial surgery had contorted his face into a permanent smile. I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t have to strive to be like him!

And this points to an issue that many human beings experience. They strive to be happy. “Oh, if I could just find the perfect job and buy a home in Palm Springs. Or take a Caribbean cruise, win the lottery, experience Paris on a Sunday in May, find and marry my cosmic mate and honeymoon in Hawaii.”

All of this involves an assumption that happiness comes by manipulating outer circumstances. But true happiness, authentic happiness, comes from within. It is a natural byproduct of coordination with the creative process of Life. It comes not by manipulating externals but by simple surrender to the ordering power of Love at our core.

Someone might ask, “Isn’t it irresponsible to be happy in a world where there is so much pain and suffering?” Quite the contrary, we were created to be happy, and if no one is modeling or demonstrating that happiness, the false notion that happiness is unnatural is being spread and the truth is being hidden from humanity. So be happy anyway! It is a vital part of our spiritual work!

About Open Windows

We, the authors of this blog, dedicate it to the transparent exploration of the world's sacred scripture and enlightened spiritual thought. We believe that the original inspiration of all faiths comes from a common source, named and revered in a myriad of ways. With that understanding, the innumerable symbols, beliefs, and practices of faith cease to divide. They become open windows to a common reality that inspires and unifies us. We find deeper insight and nourishment in our own faith and from the expression of faith from others.

We hope these weekly quotations and meditations speak to your heart and soul.